Disposable surgical legging



June 5, 1962- J. ME L GES 3,037,507

DISPOSABLE SURGICAL LEGGING Filed Sept. 16, 1960 INVENTOR 777a Zg'ea BY am A ORNEY United States Filed Sept. 16, 1960, Ser. No. 56,416 6 Claims. (31. res-292 The present invention relates broadly to surgical and obstetrical cover means, and in its more specific phases to disposable leggings especially adapted for covering a female patients legs during normal child birth.

Common procedures, until the past few years, in draping a female patients legs during child birth, has been to use cloth members such as cotton sheets for this purpose. That procedure led to a considerable amount of extra laundry work as Well as the carrying by large hospitals of a large and costly inventory of sheets for such use. Moreover, it is well known that even though blood stained cotton sheets are carefully laundered and initially sterilized, the stains, which are substantially impossible of removal with conventional laundry procedures, form the starting point for incubation of germs which may infect the next patient on whom the sheets are used, In my copending US. patent application Ser. No. 797,811, filed March 6, 1959, I have set forth disposable obstetrical and surgical cover means which are fast becoming the standard equipment used in hospitals in the place of linens for both obstetrics and surgery. One of the items of such equipment is a simple form of non-cloth legging with single strip gluing which sometimes did not hold under conditions of use. It was a recognition of the problems involved and that an improved form of such leggings is desirable, which led to the conception and development of the present invention.

Accordingly among the objects of the present inven tion is the provision of a disposable non-cloth, non-woven, cellulose fabric obstetrical legging with reinforced side and end seams.

Another object is to provide a suitable disposable noncloth, non-Woven, cellulose fabric obstetrical legging with a cuff at one end, and wherein said legging is open along one side substantially the full depth of said cuff.

A further object is to provide a disposable legging which is open at one end of the legging cuff substantially the full depth of same for ease of application of the legging to the patient, and yet the cuff itself has closed ends adjacent each other to facilitate sterile handling of the legging at the cuff end of same by the doctor or other attendant.

Still further objects and advantages of the present invention will appear as the description proceeds.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, the invention, then, consists of the legging form of disposable cover means hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims, the annexed drawing and the following description setting forth in detail certain means for carrying out the invention, such disclosed means illustrating, however, but one of various e e ways in which the principle of the invention may be used.

In the annexed drawing:

FIGURE 1 shows a typical blank from which the present improved disposable obstetrical legging may be formed. 1

FIGURE 2 shows a preferred form of the present improved disposable obstetrical legging.

FIGURES 3, 4 and are sectional views as taken at lines 33, 4-4, and 55 of FIGURE 2, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, a preferred form of the blank 11) is shown and wherein said blank has a back main panel 11 and a front main panel 12,

atent Q 3,037,507 Patented June 5, 1962 the back main panel 11 having attached to its upper edge, and preferably full length of same, an end sealing and reinforcing flap 13. Alon-g the side edge of back main panel 11 is a side sealing and reinforcing flap 14 which preferably extends from the end of said panel carrying the end sealing flap 13, a major portion of the distance to the opposite end of back main panel and preferably to the top of the legging cuff when in finished form as shown in FIGURE 2. At the opposite end of back main panel 11 from that carrying end sealing flap 13 is a back cuff panel 15 which has a side edge flap 16. Front main panel 12 has a front cuff panel 17 which is preferably unit joined by a fold line 25 along one end with back cuff panel 15. Front cuff panel 17, at its opposite edge from that which is unit joined to back cuff panel 15, is preferably provided with a side edge flap 18.

To facilitate machine gluing of the legging, all of the glue is preferably placed on one side of the blank as shown in FIGURE 1. Back main panel 11 is provided with a glue strip 19 adjacent flap 13 and a second glue strip 20 adjacent side flap 1'4- with such strip extending to back cuff panel 15. End sealing flap 13 is also provided with a glue strip 21 adjacent its outer edge, and likewise side sealing flap 14 is provided with a glue strip 22 adjacent its outer edge. Front main panel 12 starting at the edge of front cuff panel 17, and along the outer free edge of said front main panel, is provided a glue strip 23, with such strip being substantially as long as the length of side flap 18 of front cuff panel 17.

With the glue strips fresh and ready for adhesive fastening of the par-ts together, back cuff panel 15, and front cuff panel 17 may be folded under as a unit, along fold line 24, until they lie adjacent the back face of panels 11 and 12. Flaps 16 and 18 are then folded forward and sealed onto glue strips 20 and 23 on the forward faces of panels 11 and 12 to form a cuff member with closed ends, which facilitates and stabilizes the legging under conditions of use. Front main panel 12 with front cuff panel 17 carried thereby is then folded forward along fold line 25 until it rests on top of back main panel 11 with its side and end edges along fold lines 27 and 26 Where it is in position to be sealed to the exposed portion of glue strips 19 and 20. End sealing flap 13 and side sealing flap 14 are then folded along fold lines 26 and 27 onto the outer face of front main panel 12 where the glue strips 21 and 22 of said flaps 13 and 14 join the respective fiaps to the front face of said front main panel 12. This produces a finished legging 28 as shown in FIGURE 2.

With the assembly put together as shown in FIGURE 2 and described above, it will be noted that the ends of the back cuff panel 15 and front cuff panel 17 are anchored to back main panel 11 and front main panel 12 by means of the adhesive joinder of side flaps 16 and 18 to the respective rear and front main panels which thus produces the closed end, strong and firmly anchored front and rear, open top, cuffs 29 and 30 in the position shown in FIGURE 3. These cuffs are used by the nurses, or other attendant, for the insertion of their hands thereinto to slip the sterilized legging over the patients leg in approved sanitary manner. Such cuffs, of course, are open their full height between the front and back cuff portions along the left hand edge as seen in FIGURE 2, and further shown in the cross section view of FIGURE 5. p

The main body portion of the legging as seen along line 4-4 of FIGURE 2 has only the front and back panels 12 and 11 hinged together along fold line 25 and joined adhesively by glue strip 20 and then reinforced by the adhesive fastening of side sealing flap 14 to front panel 12 of same, all of which is shown in cross section in FIG- URE 4 and wherein the unsectioned front and rear cuffs 3 29 and 30 at the lower end of the legging can be seen along the outer edges of the cross sectioned portion.

In my co-pending application, referred to above, there is shown and described how leggings are used in obstetrical and surgical work and in which connection it is to be noted that the present improved legging has now gone into wide-spread commercial use. Since the present invention is aimed specifically at eliminating the use of cloth type woven materials, commonly called linens, where used for leg covering in connection with surgery and obstetrics, it should be noted that the disposable leggings of the present invention replaces such linens with such improved leggings being formed from a disposable non-woven material, which can be generally referred to as a cellulose fabric. This material is preferably moderately soft, relatively strong and tear resistant, is even relatively strong when wet, and may, if desired, be of self-reinforced form. Paper is made in many types with or without reinforcement, and is a typical disposable non-woven material, and accordingly the term paper meeting these requirements can be used to generally indicate the type of non-woven material which has proven commercially satisfactory in carrying out the present invention. At the end of the obstetrical Work or surgery, if the latter is involved, it is common practice to use one of these leggings as a receptacle for the soiled disposable obstetrical cover members and other items which are to be disposed of, thus permitting all of the material thus collected to be delivered directly to an incinerator for disposal.

While the specific construction disclosed is a preferred one, attention is invited to the possibility of making variations within the spirit and scope of the invention as shown and described, such as making part of the cuff folds before applying the glue which could be slightly shifted while leaving the final legging substantially unchanged. Directional terms such as front, back, rear, side, et cetera, have been used for convenience of describing the invention in the position illustrated, and are not to be considered as limiting upon the invention herein set forth and claimed.

ther modes of applying the principle of my invention may be employed instead of the one explained, change being made as regards the legging herein disclosed, provided the means stated by any of the following claims or the equivalent of such stated means be employed.

I therefore particularly point out and distinctly claim as my invention:

1. A disposable shield or cover means for obstetrical or other use in the form of a loose-fitting legging having two main panel portions of a moderately soft but relatively strong non-woven cellulose fabric sheet having a longitudinal fold along one side, means closing the other side and one end of said folded together main panels, said legging, at the open end thereof, having on the outer face of both main panel portions of same, pocket means for receiving a persons hands to aid in sterile handling and slipping said legging over a suitably positioned leg of a patient or other member to be covered by said legging, and a second closing means for holding said closed end and other side of said legging tightly sealed.

2. A disposable shield for obstetrical or other use as set forth in claim 1, wherein said second closing means for the closed end and other side of said legging is in the form of an end flap and a side flap which are extensions of at least one of said main panel portions of said legging and folded over the other portion, and means sealing said flaps to the main panel portion over which they are folded, whereby said closed end and other side are doubly joined and anchored together.

3. A disposable shield for obstetrical or other use as set forth in claim 1 wherein said pocket means on the outer face of both main panel portions of said legging for receiving a persons hands to aid in sterile handling and slipping said legging into place over the leg of a patient or other member to be covered by said legging is in the form of a turned-up cuff at the open end of said legging.

4. A disposable shield for obstetrical or other use as Set forth in claim 1, wherein said pocket means on the outer face of both main panel portions of said legging for receiving a persons hands to aid in sterile handling and slipping said legging in place over the leg of a patient or other member to be covered by said legging is in the form of a special turned up relatively deep cult at the open end of said legging, said cuff having closing ends adjacent each other along one side edge of said legging, said closed ends being separate from each other to provide a side open portion of said legging in addition to the open end of same.

5. A disposable shield for obstetrical or other use as set forth in claim 1, wherein said second closing means for the closed end and other side of said legging is in the form of an end flap and a side flap which are extensions of at least one of said main panel portions of said legging and folded over the other portion, and means sealing said flaps to the main panel portion over which they are folded, whereby said closed end and other side are doubly joined and anchored together, and wherein said pocket means on the outer face of both main panel portions of said legging for receiving a persons hands to aid in sterile handling and Slipping said legging in place over the leg of a patient or other member to be covered by said legging is in the form of a turned-up cuff at the open end of said legging.

6. A disposable shield or cover means for obstetrical or other use in the form of a loose-fitting legging having two main panel portions of a moderately soft but relatively strong non-woven cellulose fabric sheet having a longitudinal fold along one side, means closing the other side and one end of said folded together main panels, said legging having an open end with pocket means on both the front and back faces of said legging adjacent said open end for receiving a persons hands to aid in slipping and pushing said legging over a suitably positioned leg of a patient or other member to be covered by said legging, said longitudinal fold of said fabric sheet providing the means unit joining the front and back portions of said legging full length of one side of same, said pocket means being in the form of a turned up cuff at the open end of said legging, said cuff having closed ends adjacent each other at said other side edge of said legging, said closed ends being separate from each other to provide an open side portion of said legging substantially as long as the depth of said cutf, and separate closing means for further sealing both said closed end and the sealed major portion of said other side edge of said legging, said separate closing means being in the form of flaps on the closed end and other side edge of said legging for overlying one of the main panel portions together with means sealing said flaps to said main panel portion.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Farnsworth May 1, 1923 ISTON G. JOHNSON UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 3,037,507 June 5, 1962 Frederick J. Melges It is hereby certified that error appears in the above numbered patent requiring cerrection and that the said Letters Patent should read as corrected below.

Column 4, line 15, for "closing" read closed Signed and sealed this 26th day of March 1963.

SEAL) Attest:

DAVID L. LADD Commissioner of Patents Atteating Officer 

